Hey
A MAN WITH NO
EYES. NO EYES AT ALL. TWO TUNNES IN HIS HEAD...
Somewhere – some
time – there’s a tangled ball of evil and spite, of hatred and malice, that has
woken up.
And it’s waking
up all the old stories too – stories about evil old withces....
‘I Shall Wear Midnight’ is the thirty eight novel in the Discworld
series. It is set on the Discworld,
which is basically a disc supported by a bunch of elephants, on the back of a
giant turtle. It is clearly a fantasy
series, and a very funny one at that. In
many ways in is a satire of the fantasy genre, especailly in the early
books. ‘I Shall Wear Midnight’ is one of
the Discworld novels that are for a younger audience, but many fully grown fans
think the books for younger readers are just as good as the normal ones. This novel follows the character of Tiffany
Aching, a sixteen year old witch who has featured in three prior novels. Even
though this book, like the rest of the Discworld series can be read out of
order or on its own, it helps to have read the earlier instalments pertaining
to her.
I am lost for words at what to say about ‘I Shall Wear Midnight’. I love the Discworld novels, they are always
funny but also make me think about how I see things around me. Sir Terry Pratchett has this amazing ability
to make people happy through his books, while also telling more truth in his
works than most authors can get away with.
‘I Shall Wear Midnight’ is one of those novels that does an especially
good job at it. It is sad and at times
frightening, but not in a gory, cheap way.
This novel begins with the deaths of two people – an old man and a
newborn baby. The first from old age,
the other because a young woman’s father beats her half to death causing her to
lose her baby. Tiffany has to deal with
both, in her line of work as a witch.
She also has to deal with prejudice, and the impact it can have on people’s
lives. She reflects over the human cost
of hate – an old woman was killed years ago for looking like a witch. The
enemy Tiffany faces this time is not one that she can destroy – instead she can
only get rid of the Cunning Man for a short period of time. He basically is hate.
Despite all the
above, ‘I Shall Wear Midnight’ is also a very sweet and fun book. One of the themes of the novel is that of
self-fulfillment 'Ye know full well that the meaning
of life is to find your gift. To find
your gift is happiness. Never tae find
it is a misery.' Jeannie. Happiness
is a subject that is explored, and not to spoil too much for anyone, but
Tiffany learns that she has to know herself and trust herself in order to
succeed. Additionally, the Nac Mac
Feegles are back, and as always they are hilarious. But, like the rest of the novel, the reader
gets to see a little bit under their skin which in a sense makes them more
real, and funnier. The prose is very
electric, and at times very touching. To
quote the Daily Telegraph at the back of the book ‘A passion for language, wordplay, and puns bursts from the pages’.
‘I Shall Wear Midnight’ was a novel
that I had wanted to read for a while, and in a way dreaded reading. I love all the ‘witches’ books that I have
read in the Discworld series, and am not ashamed to say that I am attached to
the characters. I knew that this was
potentially the last book that features these characters and I think the ending
made it clear that Tiffany Aching will not feature in a Discworld novel
again. I found it an emotional book, but
also a very wise and honest one. I would
recommend this to anyone, because it is just brilliant. Dare I say a masterpiece?
